It’s been over a month since
we’ve last added to blog, and for good reason too. Our beloved computer suffered a screen meltdown (of sorts) so Matt dutifully trekked to Santiago to take the computer to the Apple service center. In the meantime, we stayed busy reading Don Quixote, which we recommend to everyone because it’s funny and silly and smart at the same time, hanging out around Vigo (we saw Spiderman with Jenny and Johnny!) and spending a weekend with Gabriel and his family near Ourense. Then we
began to prepare for a weekend trip to the Picos de Europa, which is in the Asturias, with a group of international students. We met at Plaza Espana on Friday night around 8 in the evening and left town just before nine. We made a fun car parade – five in total for our group of thirty. Matt and I were happy to ride with our friends Evaristo and Isabel, whom we met on our first hike earlier this spring. It turns out Europeans are fast
drivers, despite the disadvantages of a dark night and curvy mountainous roads. In fact, the Spaniards drove most dangerously, but the cars of French and Italian students certainly kept the pace up. However, I must admit that European cars are much more conducive for driving recklessly because all have stick control and run on diesel fuel and are small and compact. Matt says they weren’t driving too dangerously…just incredibly fast: at times, Evaristo was clocking at 140 km.
Around midnight we stopped for a break and I happily believed we were within an hour or so of the hostel in Cangas de Onis, but yet I couldn’t stay awake in the car, and neither could Matt. Somehow I was sleeping deeply and comfortably and yet I was aware of the bitter cold air of the wind when Evaristo would open the windows for a few moments to jolt himself awake. At three in the morning I was woken up by the neon lights
of several policemen on foot in the middle of the highway. It turns out, they were conducting a random drug and alcohol check and they chose the very last car of our parade to search: the Italians. Evaristo jumped out of our car to help the Italians with Spanish if they needed it and then he told us the funny story when he got back. The police demanded all forms of ID and licenses and heard the story of their studying abroad and then asked, “Do you have drugs in your car?” Evaristo made a joke, “YEAH! We are
from Vigo! What kind would you like?!” As to make fun of two things: first, because Vigo is infamous for drug traffic due to the busy harbor, and secondly, who would admit to having drugs in the car anyway? Consequently, the police opened the trunk and searched the bags and finally were satisfied and let us on our way after more than ten minutes. Thankfully, we arrived at the hostel within the next half hour and Matt and I found our bunk beds and were out for the night. That is, after the Italians decided to go to bed because all Italians are loud, happy, boisterous and active and most of all, they like to party. I mean, if we were to use stereotypes…
we’ve last added to blog, and for good reason too. Our beloved computer suffered a screen meltdown (of sorts) so Matt dutifully trekked to Santiago to take the computer to the Apple service center. In the meantime, we stayed busy reading Don Quixote, which we recommend to everyone because it’s funny and silly and smart at the same time, hanging out around Vigo (we saw Spiderman with Jenny and Johnny!) and spending a weekend with Gabriel and his family near Ourense. Then we
began to prepare for a weekend trip to the Picos de Europa, which is in the Asturias, with a group of international students. We met at Plaza Espana on Friday night around 8 in the evening and left town just before nine. We made a fun car parade – five in total for our group of thirty. Matt and I were happy to ride with our friends Evaristo and Isabel, whom we met on our first hike earlier this spring. It turns out Europeans are fast
drivers, despite the disadvantages of a dark night and curvy mountainous roads. In fact, the Spaniards drove most dangerously, but the cars of French and Italian students certainly kept the pace up. However, I must admit that European cars are much more conducive for driving recklessly because all have stick control and run on diesel fuel and are small and compact. Matt says they weren’t driving too dangerously…just incredibly fast: at times, Evaristo was clocking at 140 km.
Around midnight we stopped for a break and I happily believed we were within an hour or so of the hostel in Cangas de Onis, but yet I couldn’t stay awake in the car, and neither could Matt. Somehow I was sleeping deeply and comfortably and yet I was aware of the bitter cold air of the wind when Evaristo would open the windows for a few moments to jolt himself awake. At three in the morning I was woken up by the neon lights
of several policemen on foot in the middle of the highway. It turns out, they were conducting a random drug and alcohol check and they chose the very last car of our parade to search: the Italians. Evaristo jumped out of our car to help the Italians with Spanish if they needed it and then he told us the funny story when he got back. The police demanded all forms of ID and licenses and heard the story of their studying abroad and then asked, “Do you have drugs in your car?” Evaristo made a joke, “YEAH! We are
from Vigo! What kind would you like?!” As to make fun of two things: first, because Vigo is infamous for drug traffic due to the busy harbor, and secondly, who would admit to having drugs in the car anyway? Consequently, the police opened the trunk and searched the bags and finally were satisfied and let us on our way after more than ten minutes. Thankfully, we arrived at the hostel within the next half hour and Matt and I found our bunk beds and were out for the night. That is, after the Italians decided to go to bed because all Italians are loud, happy, boisterous and active and most of all, they like to party. I mean, if we were to use stereotypes…
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